Venice Beach Boardwalk

Jaded types insist that there’s nothing all that special about this ever-bohemian boardwalk, with its collection of eccentrics hawking their wares and letting their freak flags fly. But the gentrification of the surrounding community has given many a renewed sense of fondness for this decades-old promenade. Some very respectable artists sell their paintings and handcrafted jewelry here, alongside purveyors of incense, sunglasses, and henna tattoos; myriad street performers, and wannabe Mr. Universes at adjacent Muscle Beach (where the Governator himself once pumped iron), add to the human-carnival vibe. The funky cafés, boutiques, and tattoo parlors lining the boardwalk have a throwback, land-that-time-forgot quality.

Venice Beach Boardwalk

Jaded types insist that there’s nothing all that special about this ever-bohemian boardwalk, with its collection of eccentrics hawking their wares and letting their freak flags fly. But the gentrification of the surrounding community has given many a renewed sense of fondness for this decades-old promenade. Some very respectable artists sell their paintings and handcrafted jewelry here, alongside purveyors of incense, sunglasses, and henna tattoos; myriad street performers, and wannabe Mr. Universes at adjacent Muscle Beach (where the Governator himself once pumped iron), add to the human-carnival vibe. The funky cafés, boutiques, and tattoo parlors lining the boardwalk have a throwback, land-that-time-forgot quality.